Fresh-Picked Seattle

Intro

Of all the urban homesteading kinds of activities, foraging is probably tied with canning for most daunting to the cautious newbie. With canning, you have the threat of botulism; with foraging, it's the potential of bringing home some seriously hazardous produce.

So while one might feel like being a little loosey-goosey when attempting other new culinary adventures, with foraging, it's a good idea to put in some study time before heading into the wild.

Where to get started? Consider taking a class, checking out membership at a mycological society or reading the blogs of local foragers.

Are you a forager? Check out this post on a research project on urban foraging; the researchers would love to speak with you!

Click here for recent blog posts tagged with this topic.

Wild Food Slideshows

To see some slideshows from wild food and ethnobotany events I have attended, please see the below links!

• Seaweed foraging class with Dr. John Kallas on July 31, 2011
• Berry foraging class with Langdon Cook on July 18, 2011
• Native people and plants walk at the WA Park Arboretum on July 3, 2011
• Lynnwood Library edible & medicinal plant walk with herbalist Jennifer Sundstrom on June 11, 2011
• Langdon Cook foraging walk on April 30, 2011
• Nettle foraging & cooking class with chef Becky Selengut and ecologist Jet Smith on April 17, 2011
• Langdon Cook nettle foraging and cooking class on March 23, 2011
• Washington Park Arboretum fruits, nuts and seeds walk with Arthur Lee Jacobsen on November 7, 2010
• Cattails of Mercer Slough - featuring some native ethnobotanical uses of this versatile plant - October 23, 2010

Reading & Resources

• Langdon Cook is the author of the Fat of the Land blog, and the book by the same name.
• Here's an article from Seattle Weekly with some good tips and book suggestions.
• Chef Becky Selengut has occasional nettle foraging trips. Here's an account of one from spring 2009.
• Langdon Cook wrote about Jeremy Faber of Found and Foraged Edibles for Seattle Met.
• Faber is on Twitter.
• Consider joining the Seattle Urban Gathering on Facebook or the Seattle Wild Food Meet-up group.

Wilderness Schools & Class

Here are some schools that offer wilderness training, including classes on wild edibles. Some of their upcoming classes are pulled out in the events calendar, but also check their sites for more info and resources between their scheduled classes.

• Wild Food Adventures
• Alderleaf Wilderness School
• Earthwalk Northwest
• Wilderness Awareness School
• North Cascade Institute
• Chef Becky Selengut has offered nettle foraging trips in the past. Subscribe to her newsletter for the earliest scoop on her offerings.
• The mushroom walk I took in the fall of 2009 was offered through the Bridle Trails State Park Foundation.
• REI, while they might not always be food-focused, if you need to learn more about outdoorsy-type stuff in general, they do offer many free classes in backpacking, navigation, hiking, etc. Each store has their own events page: Downtown, Alderwood/Lynnwood, Redmond, Issaquah, Southcenter/Tukwila.

Mycological Societies & Mushroom Clubs

Many local mycological societies have helpful resources, including mushroom fairs, classes and foraging trips. Here are some area groups:

• Puget Sound Mycological Society
• Snohomish Mycological Society
• Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society
• Olympic Peninsula Mycological Society
• South Sound Mushroom Club

Ethnobotany Resources

• The Washington Native Plant Society isn’t only about edibles, but can help you learn more in general about our local plant life.
• I went on an ethnobotany float trip on the Skagit River through Pacific Northwest Float Trips. I had an excellent time and would recommend.
• The Burke Museum has an Ethnobotanical Garden, including some used for food and medicine and an online image guide to native plants.
• The Arboretum offers ethnobotany tours.

Fishing Schools

• Fishing for an Experience (Kids fishing school)
• All Rivers Guide Service
• Avid Anglers
• Emerald Water Anglers
• Patrick's Fly Shop

Wild Food & Foraging Classes & Events

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Fresh-Picked Wild Food & Ethnobotany Slideshow

Click through to Flickr for photo descriptions.

Wild Food Blog Feed

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Contact

Contact me if you have an event to submit to this calendar or blog/site to add to the resources. This page also has limited advertising opportunities, contact for rates and details.

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